My soul was stirred; I prayed, "Let me
Do some great work, so purely,
To right life's wrongs, that I shall know
That I have loved Thee surely."
My lips sent forth their eager cry,
The while my heart beat faster,
"For some great deed to prove my love
Send me; send me, my Master!"
From out the silence came a voice,
Saying: "If God thou fearest,
Rise up and do, thy whole life through,
The duty that lies nearest.
The friendly word, the kindly deed,
Though small the act in seeming,
Shall in the end unto thy soul
Prove mightier than thy dreaming.
The cup of water to the faint,
Or rest unto the weary,
The light thou giv'st another's life,
Shall make thine own less dreary.
And boundless realms of faith and love
Will wait for thy possessing;
Not creeds, but deeds, if thou wouldst win
Unto thy soul a blessing."
And so I wait with peaceful heart,
Content to do His pleasure;
Not caring if the world shall mock
At smallness of the measure
Of thoughts or deeds or daily life.
He knows the true endeavor--
To do His will, to seek His face--
And He will fail me never.
--Sarah A. Gibbs.